We engineer specialized genetic systems that go beyond what nature’s genetic systems can do. We are especially interested in creating living cells that dramatically accelerate the speed of evolution, that reinterpret the genetic code, and that can record transient information as heritable genetic mutations. We apply these cells to the discovery of useful biomolecules, biopolymers, and therapeutics; the study of molecular evolution; cell and developmental biology; and the creation of synthetic life. Our research spans the fields of genetic engineering, synthetic biology, chemical biology, cell biology, and directed evolution.

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